Halestorm’s Lzzy Hale Defends Ronnie James Dio Hologram

The Ronnie James Dio hologram will head back on tour next year as the Dio Disciples band prepares to play over 100 shows. Since its debut at Wacken in 2016, fans have either defended the pioneering concert technology or maligned it for a host of reasons. Now, Halestorm frontwoman Lzzy Hale, a huge fan of Ronnie's work, has weighed in.

"All of my friends are split down the middle with this," Lzzy said told 93.3 WMMR in a recent interview. "The tried-and-true person in me is, like, 'Ah, screw this hologram. It's a fake Dio.' But at the same time, to introduce your music to a whole new generation and an audience, and maybe people get to experience the gift that he bestowed on the world, that didn't get to see him when he was alive, that's kind of cool too," she expanded. "I think I would err on the side of as long as his family is cool with it and his wife thinks it's something that Ronnie would have wanted, then cool — I'm down with it."

His widow, Wendy, says Ronnie would have approved of something like this, as did former bandmate Jeff Pilson. Meanwhile, Aldrich, another former bandmate, said Ronnie would be "pissed."

In our Gear Factor episode with Halestorm, Lzzy recalled hearing one of Ronnie's songs for the first time. "I remember listening to [the song] 'Heaven and Hell' by Black Sabbath and it just made everything possible. I'm like it sounds like something that I could do but it has so much power and I can have the guitar stance and just wing that thing through the air," she detailed. "I was in Bethel, Pennsylvania on a 20 acre farm listening to it with my dad."

Lzzy Hale was named Loudwire's 2018 Rock Artist of the Year. Read our in-depth interview with her here.

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